DNA
by CrypticMoonFang
Summary: The Mew Project's one flaw in combining human DNA with that of an animal's.
1. Chapter 1

-Chapter 1-

"Hello, Ryou! All the rest..." Ichigo said. "So guess what?"

"Hm?" Lettuce replied.

"I had..."

"Yes?" Even Mint was interested now.

"Another date with Aoyama-kun!"

"Oh! Not this again!" Zakuro sighed.

"I think it's great that you two are getting to know each other better!" happy little Pudding said.

"But..." Ichigo continued.

"Is something wrong, Ichigo?"

"Mm! It's nothing! Nope! Nothing at all! I was just wondering about, uh... Something. Yeah, something... To myself! That's all!"

"Oh, please! You've been with the Mew Project for _how_ long now? We all know you better than that! Tell us, already!" Akasaka-san said.

Ichigo started to stare at Mint.

"What?!" an annoyed Mint said.

But Ichigo didn't take her eyes off her.

Eventually Mint moved away from the torturous stare of Ichigo Momomiya-san and sat somewhere else, still drinking her hot tea. Ichigo still stared and didn't move her eyes for an instant.

Ryou waved his hand in front of her face, but she still didn't budge those eyes of hers. She just stared, blankly, at the wall of Cafe Mew Mew. Surprisingly, no one had figured out that this was the Mew Mew's hideout.

Akasaka went to the kitchen and brought out a fish. This immediately snapped Ichigo out of her trance and she dove in for her reward. Akasaka was left, crushed and crumbled. But he was still alive, that was the good news! His twitches signaled this to everyone.

"What happened, Ichigo? Were you thinking about Aoyama-kun again?"

Her reply was a bit muffled, being as her mouth was full of fish, but Mint could make out what she was trying to say, "Uh... What're you talking about? What'd I do?"

Lettuce answered this for Mint, "You don't remember staring at Mint? Or Ryou waving his hand in your face?"

Ichigo swallowed the fish in one big gulp and said, "Nope. But, hey... I think staring is perfectly normal!"

"That's true... Well, I guess it's nothing to worry about! I mean, you're obviously fine now. Can't say the same for Akasaka-san, but... You're alright!"

"Aw! Thanks, Lettuce-chan! You're the best!"

"Ah-hem! And what about the rest of us? Hm?" Mint said in her usual sassy-natured tone.

"Eh... Heheh... You're all the best!"

"Yeah... That's what I thought! We _better_ all be the best!" Mint angrily replied.

"You are, don't worry!"

**Later that day...**

Ichigo took a stroll down to a nearby park. Aoyama was supposed to meet her here, but he hadn't shown up yet, so she decided to get some of the excitement out of her system before he came.

When he did come, he found that he was right on time. Ichigo had just come back.

"Momomiya-san!" he called out to her.

Ichigo turned to see her boyfriend and ran up to him. "You're late." she said.

"You're early. We were supposed to go here tomorrow, remember?" he said.

"Oh! That's right! Well, what a coincidence we'd meet here!"

"Yep!"

Ichigo started staring again.

"So, Momomiya-san? Where'd you want to go now? Or do you just want to stay here?"

No reply...

"Momomiya-san?" Aoyama turned to meet her gaze. Another torture stare...

"M-Momomiya-san... This is a little uncomfortable... Maybe you could let up on the stare?"

All his reply was was her breath. No words, no other sounds. No other sounds that resembled words.

"Hello? Earth to Momomiya-san!" he pressed, determined to get her to snap out of it.

She just kept staring.

Aoyama pulled out his cell phone and called Cafe Mew Mew. It was Ryou who answered.

"Hello? This is Cafe Mew Mew. We serve fine deserts and pastries! If you'd like a reservation, please feel free to come on over. We garantee only the finest service!"

"Hello? R-Ryou? Um... This is Masaya Aoyama calling. It's about Ichigo... You see, she's-"

"I'm sorry I can't come to the phone right now... But nonetheless, please leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!"

Aoyama slammed his phone shut.


	2. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2-

He looked over to find that Ichigo had fallen off the bench they had been sitting on. Since her parents would think he drugged her or something, he decided to pick her up and carry her to Cafe Mew Mew.

"So, uh... What now?" Lettuce was asking.

"I'm not sure. Just do something." Ryou answered. There were no customers all day and no one knew what to do. So they just sat around and tried to keep themselves entertained.

Moments after Lettuce's question was answered, Aoyama came bursting through the door while holding Ichigo in his arms.

"What happened?!"

"Is she okay?"

"...?..."

All these questions hit him as soon as he came in. "I-I don't know! I can't wake her up!" he said. And to prove it, he shook her a little. And he was right. She wouldn't wake up.

Ryou grabbed her and told Aoyama to stay put. Ryou then called Akasaka to come in a tiny room with several medical equipments and a hospital bed. The room itself was actually large, but so much stuff was crammed into it that it looked much smaller than it really was. There was even a CAT, X-Ray, and an MRI.

The others followed, except Aoyama, into the room where they found themselves watching Ryou set Ichigo down on the bed. Ryou moved the bed under the X-Ray and turned it on.

The large screen showed nothing abnormal in Ichigo's skeletal structure. Every bone in her body was completely normal.

Then Ryou ordered Zakuro to transform into Mew Zakuro.

Zakuro did as told.

"Bend over. With your tail facing me." he demanded.

Zakuro blushed and retorted, "What kind of woman do you think I am?!"

Now it was Ryou's turn to blush. "I-It's not like that! The hair on your ears is too short and I need a DNA sample! The long fur on your tail should do it!" he explained.

"Oh... Okay. Sorry." Zakuro bent over, but was still a little wary of Ryou.

"Akasaka. Get me the tweezers. I want to make this as painless as possible." he instructed.

"W-Wait?! Painles- YIPE!" Tears formed in Zakuro's eyes and, with her tail between her legs, she scrambled off. "I-If that was as pain_less_ as possible... Then I don't even want to know what's as pain_ful_ as possible..." Zakuro muttered. This statement definitely had a great amount of truth to it.

Ryou stuck the few hairs he'd pulled from Zakuro's wolf tail under a microscope. The Mew Mews, well, almost all of them... Ichigo was still out cold. All watched in wonderment as they observed him putting on a serious face, obviously trying to find something.

"Well... I guess that settles it." he finally concluded.

"What settles it? What're you talking about, Ryou?" Mint asked.

"I need a DNA sample from Ichigo's cat tail. Without it, I can't be sure if my theory is right or not. But with Ichigo still passed out... She can't transform, so... There's nothing I can do." he explained.

As though on cue, Ichigo started to awaken. She looked around, still a tad dizzy from getting up too fast. "Wh-Where?" she started.

"Are you okay, Ichigo?! Did you get hurt?" a worried Lettuce asked her.

"Huh? Oh, hi, Lettuce! Hey! Everyone else is here, too! And... You all look worried... What happened?" she replied.

"You can't honestly say you don't remember! Ichigo, what's going on?!" Mint said back.

"R-Remember what? Am I missing something here?"

"Oh... You're missing something, all right! Ichigo, don't you understand? It's about _you_!" Ryou stated.


	3. Chapter 3

-Chapter 3-

"Wh-What are you talking about, Ryou? I think I'd know if something was wrong with me! Go on! Feel my head! I'm not running a fever or anything!" she said, though it appeared to be a big mistake. Everyone looked fearful. Probably the comment she just made.

"I need you to transform into Mew Ichigo. Right now! Hurry up!" Ryou rushed.

"Why?"

"DNA sample. Your tail. A hair. JUST DO IT!!!" he shouted.

"Geez! Okay, okay! I'm getting to it! Mew Mew Strawberry! Metamorpho-sis!"

In instants she was Mew Ichigo. But Ryou didn't expect one thing: Ichigo was NOT Ichigo!

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" he startled as she purred and started rubbing up against him in a cat-like manner. Then she ran off for no apparent reason.

"Wait, Ichigo!" Ryou shouted after her. Too late, though. She'd already run out the Cafe. Amazingly, she'd been on all fours this whole time, like a cat.

Outside, she ran about two blocks before finally sitting down. She smelt something. Fish. Fish? Fish! FISH!!!

Again Akasaka-san was left twitching and otherwise dead. Ichigo was safely and happily on top of him, munching on her sushi.

Ryou came up and bound her with a rope he'd conviniently found in the nick of time. He dragged her inside and used his tweezers to pluck several hairs from poor old kit-cat's tail. She hissed and then came to her senses.

"Why do I have a rope around me? Ryou... What did you do?! I can't budge! It's way too tight! Take it off! It itches and... And, I don't like it! Geez, man! What is _wrong_ with you?!" she complained.

"Are you for real?! You mean to tell us that you can't remember a _single_ thing you did after you transformed?" Mint inquired.

"Well, if I could just have a moment... I might could explain everything for you all." Ryou hushed.

The group watched Ryou as he observed a single strand of black cat hair under his unusually large microscope. "Hm... Okay, that's supposed to be... And this is... Let's just take a look at... That can't be... Pretty wierd stuff going..." he continued to mutter under his breath different little phrases and sentences. Most of the words the crew could make out, but there were most of his sentences that just plain confused them, mainly because they couldn't understand him.

"Uh... Ryou?" Lettuce shyly asked.

"Huh?!" Ryou surprised himself at how he replied. He jerked his head up from the microscope.

"So, can you tell us what's wrong? Or... That is, if there's something wrong..."

"Uhm... I-It's kind of hard to say... I'm not really sure how I can explain it to you... Let's see."

After a few minutes, Ryou continued. "You all know what DNA stands for, right? Deoxyribonucleaic Acid. RNA stands for Ribonucleaic Acid. Ribo being short for Ribosomes. Ichigo's DNA consists of two DNA structures: an Irimote Wildcat's DNA and a regular human's DNA. So, as all of you do, she has, instead of a double helix, a quadruple helix. This is fairly normal, considering we've twisted your DNA to match each other. But..."

"B-But what?!" a scared Pudding timidly asked.

"Ichigo's ribosomes are completely out of whack. In her cells, they're _normally_ floating around and there are even some that are attached to an organelle called a Golgi Body. As I've said, _this_ is a completely normal cell. But when the Irimote Wildcat's DNA entered her own, it caused her nucleus to fight over which DNA gets to control it. In that fight, her ribosomes have been rampidly thrown around the cell, so forcefully that her cell's cytoplasm couldn't slow it down enough. So her ribosomes continue to be thrown around even as we speak."

"So... Why is this bad? What does this have to do with Ichigo?" Pudding asked, kind of being the kid she was.

"Well, it poses a serious threat. Too many of Ichigo's cells have already ruptured due to the friction between her cell membrane and her ribosomes. If this is allowed to continue, she'll slowly be destroyed." Ryou calmly explained.

"So... Ichigo's cat half is fighting with her human half? Is that what you're trying to say?" Zakuro imposed.

"Exactly." Ryou answered. "And I'm not sure how long this has been going on, either. Making our problem all the more serious. But! I suspect that it hasn't progressed to where she'd feel pain. Otherwise she'd have said something by now. And, if you're wondering why, it's because if she's feeling pain, then her nervous system's cells are also rupturing." Ryou answered.


	4. Chapter 4

-Chapter 5-

"Ryou... I... I can't transform! Why?! Nya?!"

"Probably because your already equipped with your cat-like appearance. You see, your body recognizes when you transform by your ears and tail. Same goes for the other Mews."

"But I still don't get this whole thing! Nya!" Ichigo continued to whine.

"It's really hard to explain, but... Well, I've told you everything I know!" Ryou replied.

"Well, nya, it's just not good enough! NYAAAAH!!!" Ichigo screeched in pain at the last 'Nya' she said.

"Are you hurting?" Ryou stupidly asked.

Ichigo fell onto the floor, her cat ears layed flat on her head. She kept holding her tail and saying, "Nya! NYA!!!"

"Mews! Get her into the chamber!" Akasaka instructed them. They immediately got up and did as told, glad they could help with the situation. Pudding struggled to hold Ichigo's leg up.

Ichigo was carried into a glass chamber that had only one door and no windows. It did have, though, little airholes in its sides. When Ichigo came to, she found herself in this environment.

"Oh! Nya! Are you guys _kidding_ me?!" she complained. "I mean, I didn't even know we _had_ a glass room, nya!"

All the Mews were thinking, 'Poor Ichigo...' and Ichigo was thinking, 'Lemme outta here... Please, oh please...'

"Well, that may be because you weren't here when I showed it to them. Instead, you decided that a date with Mr. Stud over there was more important."

"N-Nya?! His name isn't Mr. Stud, Ryou! It's Aoyama-kun!"

"I know that all too well... Anyways! Until we can figure out how to reverse the effects of your DNA problem, you'll be staying in here. Fun, huh?"

"No way! I'm not a bird, you know! Nya! I won't be locked up in a cage all my life!" she protested.

"I didn't say all your life. I said until we can find a cure for your DNA issue."

"Grrrr... Nya... But we all know guys are dumb. It's like being the dumb one among a family of geniuses!"

"W-What?! No it's not! It's not like that at all!"

"Oh, you poor little idiot!" Ichigo faked crying.

"I-Ichigo..." Ryou had a certain warning tone in his voice. A red plus sign appeared on his forehead and vibrated. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, clearly angry with the random comment.

"NYAH!!! SERIOUSLY!!! LET ME OUT!!!"

"We can't, sorry."

"WHY WHY NYA WHY?!?!?!"

"Because you could go all cat on us again. If your cat DNA is taking over, we have to stop it WITHOUT any disturbances."

"NYAAAAAHHHH!!!"

"We all know you're angry, but it's all for your own good!"

"You mean the customers' good..." she said. "Nya..."

"No. For your good. We're all worrying about your health, and here you are complaining about how you have to be stuffed in a box for what'll probably be a really long time."

"But... I still don't get it. Nya?"

Ryou sighed.

"Nya. Nyah. Nya."

"Meowing won't help, Ichigo."

"N-Nya! Nyanyanya! NYA!!!!"

"Can you speak? It shouldn't be affecting your voice right now..."

"NYAAAHHH!!!"

"Alright, Ichigo! We'll have to examine your throat. I need to know just how far the problem has progressed."

Ryou unlocked the door and let Ichigo out.

As soon as she was free from the prison, she shoved Ryou in it and locked the door.

"ICHIGO!!! WE HAVE TO EXAMINE YOU!" Ryou shouted from the inside.

Ichigo cracked up. "I can speak just fine, you fool! You're such a gullible idiot! Ny-ah!"

"I was worried!"

"Hmhmhm... Don't be, nyah."

"Mews! Get her!"

Pudding was the first one after her.

"Heheh! You can't catch a kitty! You should know that by now! Nya nyah!" she said right before she ran out the Cafe. Cafe Mew Mew... She wouldn't be returning there anytime soon.

"Why is she so resistant? Usually she goes along with whatever she knows is right..." Lettuce observed.

"The reason behind her behavior is... Her DNA."

"Huh?"

"Her DNA. Her cat side. Cats are extremely territorial creatures. But this only invokes them. They need plenty of space. Female cats more than males, due to their maternal instinct."

"But Ichigo isn't a mom."

"It doesn't matter if the female cat is a mother or not. She will always have that same maternal instinct, no matter if there are kittens involved or not."

"So Ichigo ran... Because she needs space. Or so she thinks."

"She didn't think. She just acted. She acted on instinct because of her cat DNA."

"I hope we can cure it soon. By the looks of things, Ichigo won't last much longer if we can't find a cure..."

"Actually, we have longer than you'd think. Ichigo's human side is fighting pretty hard as well. As I've already told you before, both Ichigo's human DNA and her Irimote Wildcat DNA are fighting over her body. That is, which DNA gets to gain control of her cells."

"How do you know Ichigo's human DNA is really fighting, though, Ryou-san?"

"Easy. Haven't you noticed that she'd never stay in one of her spells? If she was staring, she always snapped out of it one way or another. When she fainted twice, both times she woke up. Those instances were her human DNA showing its unwillingness to give up. Think of it as a game. Someone has to win. Ichigo's behavior today was caused by her cat DNA, and her human DNA was shown in her behavior today as well." Ryou explained.


	5. Chapter 5

-Chapter 6-

Ichigo was outside, wondering how she got there.

'Hm. Must be something Ryou did...' she thought.

Deciding it would be better if she went back, she did just that. Went back.

"Ah, Ryou-kun... You know you really shouldn't have ticked her off like that. You're lucky she didn't claw your eyes out." Pudding patiently said.

The Mews all heard a cry coming from inside the little glass room. It said, "You're telling me that now?"

Zakuro sighed. "You should've known yourself, Ryou. You know better than anyone how she can be."

The cry came again, "I KNOW! BUT I DIDN'T KNOW SHE'D LOCK ME IN A GLASS ROOM!"

Lettuce piped up. "Um... will Ichigo come back, Ryou-san?"

"HOW THE HECK SHOULD I KNOW?" the same angered voice said.

Ichigo walked in at that exact moment. "Ryou? How on earth did you get in there?"

"Like you don't know! ICHIGO GET ME OUTTA HERE RIGHT NOW!"

"Wha...? Wh-What'd I do?"

"I-CHI-GOOO!"

"Wait, Ryou-san!" Pudding said. Then she turned to Ichigo. "Onee-chan? Do you know what happened? Do you remember locking Nii-chan in the room?"

"I did a what-who-now?"

Lettuce looked at her. "Ichigo...? You really can't remember _anything_?"

"Eh... I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to remember. OH! Wait!"

Everyone leaned closer and had a serious look on their face.

"Um... Okay! I'm sorry!"

"Huh?"

"Busted, I see... Kay, so I tripped on a customer and smeared flan all in their face! I'm really sorry!"

They all sighed.

"So you really can't remember?"

"What? What am I supposed to remember? You guys are scaring me!"

"YEAH, WELL GUESS WHO'S LOCKED IN A GLASS CAGE?"

"Can it, Ryou! I dunno _how_ you got in there!"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID! Now. Get. Me. Out. Of. Here!"

"I don't think I want to... I think I'll just be working, so... BYE!" Ichigo hustled out of the death-wish-filled room.

"Girls... If she won't do what we ask, then... You know what you have to do." Ryou said.

"What's that?" Pudding asked.

"You have to put her in here. Use force if you have to. She's going to pay for locking me in here!"

"Um... We, uh...have to, uh...go...work. So bye!" All the Mews rushed out in an attempt to avoid a ticked-off Ryou.

In the main restaurant area...

"Oh! Akasaka-san! We need two more-"

"I swear, Aoyama-kun! It's just neko-wear!" Ichigo was trying to persuade Aoyama.

"I know! I'm just saying it looks awefully real. Almost scarily real..." he answered.

"ICHIGO! We're too busy for this! Look around! There! That table of men still hasn't ordered, now go!" Mint shoved Ichigo towards the table of unserved men. Then she turned to Aoyama.

"I-I'm really sorry to take Ichigo away from you, but we're jam packed! We can't afford to lose any help!" Mint bowed.

"No, no! In fact, can I help?" Aoyama politely asked. 'Ichigo in a neko costume isn't good. Someone could try to take advantage of her...' he thought.

Mint rushed out and back with a waitress costume. "Of course! Here you are, the changing rooms are in the back and just do whatever Zakuro does."

He did as told and when he got out, he pretty much looked gay. "Why a waitress costume? Can't I help in the kitchen or something? Like in a chef's costume?"

Mint was angered by this abrupt comment. "NO! The kitchen is fine, we just need help out here, where it's full of hungry customers." Mint gestured towards the entire restaurant.

Aoyama was quickly put to work.

It wasn't too long before everyone heard a hissing sound, like a cat. They all turned around to find Ichigo blushing madly.

"What's wrong, Onee-chan?" Pudding asked in curiosity.

Without answering, she quickly dashed into the bathroom. The entire cafe was hushed. Everything seemed still and nervous.

Aoyama went up to the bathroom door and knocked, asking Ichigo if she was okay.

She came out and finally said, "I'm just gonna turn in for today."

Everyone nodded in agreement, thinking it best that she did.


	6. Chapter 6

-Chapter 6-

The next day was alot less busy at the cafe. Aoyama hung around for fear of Ichigo's safety. He helped out when he could and kept a careful eye on his girlfriend. Many men, surprisingly enough, seemed to come into the rather girlish cafe daily. Probably more men than girls, even! Aoyama thought of them all as just perverted men looking for 'action'. And waitresses were probably their number one targets. And it was made worse by the fact that Ichigo was wearing a neko costume! Immoral men would think of her as sexy, and might try to take her for themselves!

Aoyama vowed right then and there to protect Ichigo from any man who tried to do this. No girl deserved that kind of treatment, and he especially wasn't going to let Ichigo get herself into any trouble! However, if she were to somehow slip away unnoticed... Hold up! Where was Ichigo now? He frantically looked around the room, trying to find a red, puffy waitress suit that indicated Ichigo's presence inside the cafe.

No Ichigo to be found. This was worrying, and it was something worth worrying about. There weren't that many people there, and Ichigo wasn't one of those who were there... So then, where exactly was she?

* * *

Ichigo was wandering the streets in a daze. She didn't know where she was, nor did she know how she'd gotten here. Stressed, she tried finding the cafe where she worked, but to no avail... No Cafe Mew Mew, no aliens, no fighting... Nothing to give her even a tidbit of a hint as to where she should be heading. Not only that, but she was beginning to tire out. Her tail flicked and shuddered, a sign of irritation.

She huddled close to tree, trying to calm herself down. Panicking at a time like this wouldn't help, and it was getting somewhat late. Chills ran through her spine, screaming at her that she was nervous about a foreign place that she'd never been to before. The chills almost seemed to be telling her, "Danger! Danger! Get out of here! Danger!"

Starting to hate this new sensation of being lost even more than before, she looked around again and found no traces of comfort. She could only hope for now. Hope that someone, or something, would come along and find her.

* * *

It was getting a little late, and no one around the cafe had seen Ichigo or had gotten in contact with her. No one knew when she'd left or where she was now. Her mother was a bit worried, but she didn't know where her daughter had gone.

"As I explained before, her maternal instinct is strong. She needs her space." Ryou said when Aoyama had gone to take out the trash. "Therefore, she probably went out for some air or something. She should be back soon enough."

Aoyama came back in and asked where Ichigo was and if they'd found her yet. Everyone shook their heads in response. He looked out the window again, only to find nothing of particular interest. This was due to the fact that the only thing he could think of right now was Ichigo.

After several minutes, the Mews started getting worried. Ichigo still hadn't come back. Lettuce and Pudding were the first ones out to go look for Ichigo. They knew that cats had a homing instinct, like homing pigeons, but for her not to come back meant she was totally lost. Soon after them were Zakuro and even Mint! The search party consisted of the Tokyo Mew Mews, but they were searching for a cat-girl that could shift from human mode to cat mode anytime and anywhere. If she was in cat mode when they found her, she might try to run from being startled. If she was in human mode, then it would be alot easier because she wouldn't run or resist them.

Everyone transformed into their more powerful selves and began their search.

* * *

"Anyone... Please... Can you hear me...? A-Anyone..." Ichigo said for the thousandth time. No one she knew had come and she knew it was dangerous to stay with strangers. She didn't have the money for a hotel room and her cell phone was left at the cafe. Her body was starting to ache all over, but she didn't know if it was just from being tired or because her cells were rupturing. Ryou had explained everything to her and now she wished he were here to do it again. Even Kisshu would be a pleasing sight right now!

"Zakuro-san... Mint-san... Pudding-san... Lettuce-san... Please... Show me the way home... I don't like this..." she called out, once more in vain.

No one came. No one heard. No one saw.

"Please..." she cried. She sobbed and blubbered a few more words of distress. She hated this more than anything! What it felt like to be lost... It couldn't be described in good wording. It was very late now. She had to find somewhere safe to sleep.

* * *

Everyone was still futilely searching for Ichigo. Mint had the ability to talk to birds, so many of them were asked of Ichigo's whereabouts. Unfortunately, none knew where she was hiding. Lettuce discovered she had the ability to talk to marine creatures. None of them knew, either. Zakuro listened carefully to the few canine howls that passed through the wind. She howled back, asking them about Ichigo. More howls came. Not one howl, however, gave any clues of Ichigo. Pudding couldn't do much, being as there was no monkey in the area. And even if there was, it was doubted that any would've seen Ichigo.

* * *

Aoyama was told to stay put, that everything would be fine and that the girls would surely find Ichigo and bring her back. The words of comfort that he sought, though, couldn't come from anyone but Ichigo, who wasn't here obviously.

'Poor Ichigo... She must be feeling so lonely and scared out there... I hope she's okay...' he thought. He knew very well what kind of dangers lurked in the night. Feral dogs, rabies-carrying raccoons, people with sick thoughts... The worst part was that Ichigo was naive by nature. On top of that, she wasn't nearly as strong as most men. She was a small-built girl. She had a slender figure and young, tender skin. Her face was pretty and cute at the same time. In essence, she was truly a treasure. Any man would want her for himself, even if he had to take her by force. But what was really scary was that neko-wear she had on. She didn't understand how many men's minds worked. The neko-wear would attract them in flocks. If she had a chance at all, it would be here at the cafe, where he could protect her.

But how did she slip away? The door didn't ring.

* * *

The others came back. It was too late to continue looking for Ichigo. Plus, it was dark out. If they came near her, they wouldn't be able to see her. They were tired as well. They'd looked in so many places trying to find her, and none of the animals knew where she was. The Mews were just exhausted. They wanted to continue looking, however. The problem was they just couldn't. It was useless the wear themselves out and not have any energy for the next day, when they'd have a better chance of finding her.

Everyone was told to go to bed and be back here early the next day.

* * *

**THE NEXT DAY...**

* * *

Ichigo was crying in an alley. Still nobody had come. Still nobody had heard. Still nobody had seen. She'd just seen one of the many dangers of the night. On top of it all, there was no comfort. Had they given up hope? Or had they assumed she'd just been lazy and gone home? What were they doing right now? Her body wasn't sore anymore, now that she'd rested up. That was a good thing, it meant the soreness wasn't from her cells.

She slowly got up and looked around cautiously. Nothing that said comfort... At first she thought it would be romantic if Aoyama found her and they would be all alone. But as the long day dragged on, she could care less. The hot sun was beating down on her as she tried her best to find her way back home. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but she could only hope it was home.

* * *

The others were up early that morning and hadn't even eaten lunch or breakfast yet. They'd checked an alley and found some blood and several strands of black cat fur. It almost screamed out, "Ichigo was here!". But they couldn't find her near the alley or the surrounding area. And an unanswered question remained in the thickened air: Why was there blood near the cat fur?


	7. Chapter 7

-Chapter 7-

It had been a whole month now. Ichigo still hadn't been found and the Mews had given up all hope of finding her. Mint still chatted with the birds daily, but even she didn't expect to find a clue, let alone an actual _answer_. No bird knew where she was. The cure for her DNA problem hadn't yet been found, either. No one knew if she was even alive anymore. It was a month later, she could've starved to death. But one thing was certain: without Ichigo around, the cafe seemed dead. Aoyama still hung around, grasping the last threads of hope that Ichigo was still out there, alive and hopefully well. But the hope he had was dwindling...

"She...isn't coming back...is she?" Pudding asked. Even she, who was so energetic and happy before, had given up on Ichigo.

"I...don't think so...Pudding-san..." Lettuce replied.

The only thing they had left to remind them of Ichigo was her school uniform. Her waitress uniform was taken with her when she left.

They'd checked all of Tokyo several times over, but no Ichigo was to be found.

Mint walked outside and checked with the birds to see if they had any news. As usual, it was a no, but one of them did bring back a piece of shredded red cloth. It asked Mint if the cloth had anything to do with what she was looking for. After examining it, it was revealed that the cloth had nothing to do with Ichigo. Mint thanked the bird anyway and sent it off on its way.

"She'll turn up, just you wait!" a faithful and devoted Aoyama said, his voice nearly devoid of any hope.

"Aoyama-kun, you should just give up. If she _is_ alive, she's not coming back." Mint plainly said. "But thank you for taking Ichigo-san's job. You've been a huge help to Cafe Mew Mew."

It was very clear that everyone thought of Ichigo as dead or long gone and was mourning the loss of their dear friend. If anyone had hope to spare, it was Aoyama. He was the only one left who had any hope at all. Ichigo's mother had been informed about Ichigo's disappearance and that now she may very well be dead. There had been a big police search, but it was just recently canceled. That had to be the time when everyone truly had lost any hope they had remaining.

"Aoyama-san..." Zakuro said, turning to look at him eye to eye, "If she didn't starve, there's also the dangers in the nighttime. We cannot forget about them. Then there's also disease."

Aoyama nodded, unhappy with their lack of support. But then, who could blame them? Ichigo hadn't left any trace for them to follow, she obviously was nowhere in Tokyo, neither they nor the police could find her, and there were so many signs that she wasn't coming back. That usually would be more than enough to make someone lose all hope, but they'd clung to it longer than they themselves expected.

Everyone had been down since the day she'd left and hadn't come back, but now, being told that she wasn't coming back, their spirits had been diminished. Ichigo was their closest, dearest friend. And they'd lost her. On top of it all, if she was still alive, she would be alone and lost in a rather unforgiving world. Nobody deserved that treatment...especially not Ichigo, who constantly helped protect the world's peace.

* * *

No one came. No one heard. No one saw. No one would come. No one would hear. No one would see.

Ichigo was starving...again. She'd gotten lost a whole month ago and couldn't find her way back. So she remained lost. By now she was pretty sure she was out of Tokyo. No one had found her yet, so she was left alone, frightened and scared. The nights had been cold, and the days had been hot. So far, the world had been harsh to her and it seemed time wasn't on her side. Her stomach had long ago become her torturer. It was painful to walk or even stand because she was so hungry. She had to make do with whatever she could find. Her cell phone had been left a Cafe Mew Mew when she left. There truly was no way to call for help now. She had sunburns on her face, arms and legs. They weren't too bad, but they were red and very uncomfortable and painful.

Ichigo never stopped longing for the life she used to have. Her friends and family... All gone. And her mother and father had to be worried sick! She was almost at her limit. She kept thinking of how she might die out here, in a place where she didn't know where she was at. Cafe Mew Mew... What did it look like again? And what had become of the aliens? Was the fight over? Had there been any fights at all? So many unanswered questions, and ones that Ichigo couldn't answer.

"Mom... Dad... Anybody... Please answer... I want to go back... I don't want this life anymore!" she screamed to nothing in particular.

The world had been cruel to her, pinning this fate on her like it did. No matter how many times she called out, it seemed like no one would answer. Her hopes, as well, were starting to fade away. She was lost, alone, hungry, homeless, hurt, and sick. Her DNA problem hadn't gone away, it was still there and she could feel its constant presence through the pain it put her through. It was a wonder she wasn't dead yet!

'It hurts...' she thought. 'Every step I take...hurts. Why can't I just die now and get it over with?'

She was disheartened. She was so discouraged she wanted to die. But if she died now, who would find her? It wasn't like she was in the desert or something, right? If there was a will, there was a way, and Ichigo had no will or way.

She continued walking down the same path she'd been walking for some time now, trying to decide whether or not she should head to the forest. At least the forest would provide shade from the harsh sun and shelter, right? But on the other hand, there were many more dangers in the forest... What was a girl to do?

In the end she decided it wasn't good to into the forest. It would decrease her chances of someone finding her. This obviously wasn't Tokyo, and it seemed she wasn't able to find her way back to Tokyo, so now what? Live out her remaining life? How long would that take?

"The rest of my life, huh?" she wondered aloud, "The circumstances being what they are, I can't help but wonder how long the rest of my life is... Mom... Dad... They must think I'm dead. Everyone must think I'm dead. Otherwise, I'd have been found by now, right? I'd be at home right now, or at the cafe working. I'd be enjoying delicious meals every day, and not searching for the little scraps I find... I took everyone for granted, and now... Now... Now I'm lost and don't know what to do. Where am I supposed to go from here? Where_ is_ here? Why can't I just find my way back, like in the movies...?"

On top of everything that's happened so far, she now had to hide a deep, personal secret from her friends, if she ever found them, that is...

* * *

Mint went outside and after a short period of time came back in. Aoyama had been sent home for the day. She announced that no birds had spotted Ichigo.

"Again, huh...? It amazes me, really. Don't those birds travel very long distances? And yet none of the hundreds you talk to have seen a girl with a black cat tail and black cat ears? Isn't that weird?" Pudding stated.

"Ichigo is elusive. Perhaps she's gone somewhere where even the birds don't travel. Either way, it's been too long a time. Unless she comes back, we'll never be able to find her. The police, us... No one knows or knew where she was at. I _did_ say cats had a homing instinct, but there are many, many cases of when a cat goes too far and can't find its way back." Ryou said.

"So... We'll never find her..." Zakuro said.

"No! We will! If you won't help look for her, I'll go by myself!" Aoyama declared as he walked back in the cafe.

"Why are you back here? You were sent home." Ryou asked.

"Because... Because Ichigo is...is... Ichigo...is a very important person in my life! I refuse to let her suffer out there while I'm in here, safe and sound!" he answered vehemently.

"Aoyama-kun... Perhaps it's better if you left this kind of thing up to us." Zakuro emotionlessly told him.

"Why should I? You haven't made any progress and I can help you! So why?" he practically begged.

Lettuce piped up, "W-Well, Aoyama-kun... There's something about Ichigo that you don't know. It's very risky to tell you, so I'm sorry that we can't, but we're Ichigo's friends, and you can trust us, right? We might not ever find Ichigo again, but we're doing our best."

Aoyama nodded his head reluctantly. He was too upset to ask what it was about Ichigo that he didn't know. And besides, Lettuce told him it was too risky to tell him. He'd have to trust them and sit back for now. But he could help by looking outdoors every so often.


	8. Chapter 8

**CAUTION! WARNING!** This chapter of the story may unnerve some people or make them feel uncomfortable while reading it. T-rated scenes are in the first section that tells about how Ichigo survives. Readers beware! You may want to skip this chapter. It shouldn't confuse you much when you get to the next one.

-Chapter 8-

Another month in and Ichigo finally found a job, sort of... But it wasn't exactly a pleasant job. A job is something that should make you feel proud of yourself, yet this job went against her very soul, and filled her with shame. However, with her at ears and cat tail, it was probably the only way she could make any money. The only upside to it was that it paid pretty well.

It was nighttime. And the job she worked was at night. It was quite simple, actually. All she had to do was walk down a few streets, and then turn around. She kept going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. After a certain period of time, a car pulled to the side, right in front of her. Now came the part she hated most.

"Can I help you, miss?" a man inside the car asked. He was downright ugly! Let your imagination run free, and you can almost too easily imagine that man.

Now was her turn to say, "Oh, do you know a nice, quiet place where I can have some fun?" It disgusted her every time, but it was very crucial that she do this, otherwise she might not be able to hold her own. She still didn't know where she was at, and she was so thin and skinny that right now she would do just about anything for food.

"Some fun, huh? Well, uh, I think I could give you a lift to a fun place. Or I could just show you some at-home entertainment, if you want." the man said, letting his eyes roam her body.

"Well, well! Aren't you bold! But you should know that I charge the entertainers." she said, hoping she could get a good price out of this guy.

"Oh! Of course! How much do you want, sweetie?" He pulled out his wallet and opened it.

"Hm... I think I'll have about twenty thousand yen." Ichigo smiled playfully at the man.

He examined her again and, deciding that she was cute enough for him, said, "Get in the car."

That was her cue. She got in the car and, though she hated every minute of it, uneventfully arrived at the man's home. It wasn't a bad house, actually. It was small and humble. Completely unlike him, who had an ego the size of an elephant. The one who could truly make her happy was Aoyama...but he wasn't here, and so she had to make do with whatever she could get. Now wasn't the time to get picky about how one got money. But nonetheless, she still hated the next part.

She was to go inside the house and 'pleasure' the man. Of course, she'd ask to take a shower first. One reason was to buy time, and another was to get clean. Then the man would be waiting, nude, on the bed. All she had to do was do whatever he wanted her to do for one night. That's right. Her 'job' was as a prostitute.

* * *

Mint came back inside. She waited until Aoyama wasn't listening to tell the rest of the gang that there was still no news from the birds. They all sighed. After an entire two months, still no news concerning Ichigo!

Aoyama came back from the kitchen and brought an order to a table. Then, seeing the others talking, he went over and asked if they'd found anything about Ichigo. Everyone just sadly shook their head. So, determined that if they had put in more effort, they'd have found her by now, Aoyama vowed to keep looking until he found even a hint of her. He needed something to bring hope back to the cafe. If he didn't find anything related to her, everyone would eventually stop looking at all! And he had a feeling she was still alive and out there somewhere.

* * *

The next day Ichigo walked out of the house, ready to cry. Why was her only option _that_ job? She would've been much happier working at a crackhouse! But then, how would her ears and tail do in one of those? Not very well... In fact, the only reason her identity hadn't become known was because this job provided extreme darkness. Since it was at night, her black cat ears and tail were hidden by darkness. It was too dark to see very clearly. The men could only see the shadowed outline of her body.

She looked around for a cheap restaurant. Unfortunately for her, the man she'd gone with lived in a neighborhood. She was starving and nearly depleted of energy. That man had been rather rough with her, but he paid her really well.

She began her trek through the semi-familiar neighborhood. As she was walking the thought crossed her mind that she might have been here before except with a different guy. It was possible, but that normally meant the neighborhood wasn't very safe to be in. She began pace-walking. She should probably be on her way out, anyway.

It was the crack of dawn by the time she finally made it out. It was then that it hit her: None of her catlike symptoms had started to appear since last month! Did that mean the 'war' in her body was settled? Oh, she hoped so! She no longer felt any pain said to be related to her damaged cells, and she didn't wake up to find herself somewhere she didn't now she'd gone. Hopefully this meant everything was done and over with.

But there was still the half that concerned her secret, which was kept hidden from everyone but herself, who silently harbored it. Along with the secret, however, came the pain of the secret, which she also silently harbored. She was never the type to make someone worry about big things like this. On top of that, there was nobody she _could_ tell.

"I...I can't keep this up forever. I need food, which this so-called 'job' will provide for me through the usage of money. I need shelter, which the 'job' temporarily will provide for me directly. But... It'll end very soon. Too soon. Then what? What will I do next? What _can_ I do next?" she asked herself. There was no longer someone to give her the guidance she needed most right now. There was no longer anyone who would answer her many questions.

* * *

Mint came back again, this time with urgent news. "Everyone! There's something the birds found out!" she happily exclaimed.

Everyone gathered around and looked hopeful, but still a bit dim. Aoyama was in the kitchen helping Akasaka-san out with the pastries.

"What is it, Mint onee-chan?" Pudding asked her, the short silence obviously killing her.

"Okay, so I asked the birds if they had any news regarding Ichigo-san, as usual. I had previously described Ichigo-san as a girl with black cat ears and a black cat tail. They said they hadn't seen anyone like that." Mint started.

"Oh... Is that it? I thought you would say they found her..." Pudding said.

Lettuce looked down at Pudding. "Mint-san isn't finished talking yet, Pudding-san. There may be more to her story, so you shouldn't interrupt her."

Pudding nodded politely, said she was sorry and asked Mint to continue.

"As I was saying, they said they hadn't seen her, but they told me that there were alot of people that looked like cats at a neko convention! They told me it wasn't too far from the cafe and that it was just around the corner!" Mint finished excitedly.

Zakuro listened to the conversation without saying anything. But now she said, "I see. So you're considering the possibility of Ichigo-san being at the neko convention."

Mint nodded frantically. "I have a good feeling we might find something there, Zakuro onee-sama. I think we should go as soon as possible."

Zakuro shook her head. "If we all rush in there, we'll be leaving Aoyama-san all alone. He'll get suspicious and he'll end up following us."

"But, Zakuro-san... Why can't he just come along with us? We'll have more help this way." Lettuce wondered.

"Think about it. He doesn't know Ichigo-san is a Mew Mew. It may cause trouble if we tell him. As of this very moment, he thinks Ichigo-san is wearing neko-wear. However, if he were to come to the convention and Ichigo-san _was_ there, he may start to wonder why she was still wearing her 'costume'. That would surely lead to him finding out about Ichigo-san's identity, thus revealing her secret." Zakuro explained. "At the same time, though, only one of us should go to the convention. The rest should stay here. That way Aoyama-san won't get suspicious."

"Pudding will go! Pudding will look for Ichigo onee-chan at the neko convention!" Pudding declared eagerly.

"But, Pudding-san, you're only a kid. Let one of us handle this, okay. We need you here at the cafe, where you can do lots of tricks, okay?" Lettuce said, trying to quell Pudding's desire to see Ichigo again.

"Actually, I think I know someone who might go. Aoyama won't get suspicious because all of us will be here." Mint calmly suggested.

Everyone looked at Mint questioningly. It was clear what one-word question was on their minds: Who?


	9. Chapter 9

Some notes on the underlined words should help you better understand the story:

~Neko (neh'ko) (noun; adjective; sing.)-A Japanese term that translates into "cat". However, it also refers to a person who is half cat and half human.

~Otaku (o'tah'koo) (noun; sing.)-A person who obsesses over animes and mangas. Usually an otaku will have mangas piled up somewhere. An otaku usually loves to go to anime or manga character conventions, dressing like their favorite character.

~Otakus (o'tah'kooz) (noun; pl.)-The plural form of 'otaku'. It is not a different word, nor does it differ in meaning with 'otaku'.

~Nekos (neh'koz) (noun; pl.)-The plural form of 'neko'. It is not a different word, nor does it differ in meaning with 'neko'.

-Chapter 9-

"Tell me again how I got roped into this..." Ryou muttered.

"Because Ichigo onee-chan is counting on Ryou onii-chan!" Pudding answered, obviously having overheard him. "Aoyama onii-chan won't get serpicuous! So since Ryou onii-chan always goes on errands, you can go on this one little errand for Ichigo onee-chan and the rest of us!"

"Erm... Pudding-san, that's not 'serpicuous', it's 'suspicious'. And why am I wearing this...thing...?" he asked, gesturing to his neko costume. "I look like an idiot, or an anime character. Or worse...an otaku..."

His neko costume consisted of a white leotard that would look so much better on a girl than it would a guy, white, fuzzy cat ears, a fluffy white cat tail, white gloves with pink pawprint markings on the palms, and last but not least, a pair of white cat-feet shows that resembled the back paws of a cat. It looked gay from nearly every angle. Pudding was busy with her face-painting. She used black lipstick to make his mouth look like a cat's. She used pink lipstick to make his nose look lie an upside-down triangle, thus making it catlike. She used black ink to draw whiskers. Now the costume was complete.

When Ryou got out of the dressing room, the entire group snickered, attempting to hold back from bursting forth laughing.

"I don't need this, you know..." he sighed.

"Pudding-san did a really good job! Now you'll fit right in at the convention!" Mint said, trying to encourage him to go through with this.

"Pudding did really good! Pudding did a good job!" Pudding said while bouncing around happily. She was very proud of herself.

Ryou left for the convention.

* * *

At the convention, Ryou thought he'd died and been judged unworthy of entering Heaven. It was beyond horrible... Otakus were everywhere! It was like a completely different world. Poor Ryou had to keep on thinking, 'For Ichigo and the others... For Ichigo and the others... For Ichigo and the others...' It hardly worked, but it couldn't be helped.

As Ryou looked through various cat-related substances, he noticed a picture of a very familiar-looking girl. It even had a title: Nekos, real or fake? The cat girl was lying on the ground at such an angle where her face was hard to see clearly. It was a side shot with her back towards the camera. She had black cat ears and a black cat tail. Her red hair was messed up, and it was still in ponytails. It actually looked really dirty. She was very thin, too. The girl in the picture was wearing a red, filthy, half-shredded waitress costume and torn, ripped black boots. In fact, the most shocking part of the picture wasn't that it resembled Ichigo so much, but that the girl looked dead!

A woman dressed almost the same as Ryou, except she was in black instead of white, came up from behind a counter. "I've been watching you for a little bit now. Your neko costume tells me of your interest in nekos. You seem to have particular interest in this photo, right? Well, you can have it. Would you like to make a purchase?" she asked kindly.

Ryou, hardly thinking it over, made he purchase. He knew this girl in the photo _had_ to be Ichigo. If not, then who else? Nobody he knew had real-and-definitely-not-fake neko parts except Ichigo.

* * *

Ryou burst in the cafe, looking worried sick. He was holding something in his hand. It was a small bag. He looked alot like the Easter Bunny except with cat ears. In fact, if not for his extremely serious and worried expression, everyone would've laughed so hard they'd have busted a lung.

Aoyama had gone somewhere else for his break, so it couldn't have been more perfect timing.

"You would never believe what I found at the convention!" he exclaimed breathlessly. "I ran here as fast as I could..." He held up the bag. The was something flat and rectangular in it.

"Did you find Ichigo onee-chan?" Pudding delightedly asked.

Ryou thought about it for a few seconds and then said, "I _suppose_ you could say that."

"What's in the bag?" Zakuro asked blandly.

He immediately took out the purchased picture. "This! This picture! Look at it closely. Doesn't it remind you of a certain someone?"

Everyone leaned in close to get a good view of the picture Ryou was holding up. It reminded them of Ichigo, except not in such a pleasing manner. She looked dead!

"T-Th-This is... This...is...I-Ichigo...isn't it...?" Akasaka asked under his breath.

Tears were streaming down everyone's faces. They couldn't help themselves! Seeing a close friend in this condition, with the high and strong possibility that she could be dead... The photo itself looked pitiful. And it said it was taken nearly a month ago. If the girl in this photo wasn't dead when the photo was taken, she was now.

"But... Where was this photo taken, Ryou onii-chan?" Pudding asked. Smart words, too.

Ryou read the back of the photo. "It was supposedly take just on the outskirts of Tokyo, where all that construction used to be."

"Well, what are we standing around here for? Let's go look for Ichigo-san!" Lettuce said demandingly.

* * *

It was the same routine... Nobody came, heard, or saw. How long would she have to stay like this?

Ichigo was sitting on an abandoned park's bench. Is this what would become of her? Her, her secret, and the constant struggle to survive. How long? How long would this torture continue? As of now, she was fully ready to die. Anytime would work for her, her schedule was very flexible right now.

She got up and left the park. What next? She made a living in the worst way possible, she had to hide a secret no one else seemed to have to hide, and she was lost in more ways than one. How could it possibly get any worse than it was? She looked up, her cat side forewarning her of a storm approaching. Just great...

Right when the first raindrop landed on her, it hit her. She could never return to the Tokyo Mew Mews. She was, as of now, an outcast. A foreigner to the land. More rain came down, but the reality of her situation overwhelmed her. She didn't notice and allowed the rain to slowly soak her. Everything she'd done... They were immoral things, unworthy of her friends' trust and acceptance. They would turn their backs to her as soon as they found out about it. And her secret needed to remain just that: a secret.

* * *

Kisshu transported himself out of the domain where Deep Blue was and into the human world: Earth. Originally his kind's world, Kisshu wanted it back. However, he also wanted a bride. But not any ordinary woman would do. It had to be Ichigo.

He immediately found the Mew Mews running amuck, obviously searching for something. He effortlessly floated down, planning to make Ichigo come with him even if it meant using force to do so. However, looking closer, he saw Ichigo wasn't among them. He pushed through a cloud full of rain and dropped in front of Mew Zakuro. "Yo." he said, a look of slight anger replacing his determination.

"We don't have time to fight." Zakuro said in her usual monotone voice. "We happen to be looking for someone important."

"Oh? Well I'm probably looking for that same person. Where did you hide her?" he asked.

"We didn't hide her. She ran off. We are trying to find her." she explained.

Now fully angry, Kisshu took to the skies. He knew Zakuro was no liar. He had no idea why she ran off, but he'd just seen the Mews at their worst. Ichigo was their leader, and without her, they would eventually fall apart. So there was no good reason as to why she'd run off somewhere. He teleported back to his hideout. He would have a word or two with Pai.

* * *

Ichigo had been lost in thought for the longest time. During that time, she'd wandered into a familiar environment. But it was no shocker. Because of her 'job', she'd been in hundreds of familiar surroundings. It meant nothing to her. She continued wandering around, trying to find a spot to let her out. But it seemed as though she knew every street! Avery twist, turn and bump in the road!

She could've sworn she heard a voice calling her name. As soon as she twisted her head, though, the voice quieted. She didn't like this place. It was time to get out.

She darted behind a dumpster and scoped out the landscape. Everything looked clear. No one was there or had seen her.

She eased her way out from behind the dumpster. She mulled over the situation and realized she'd become nomadic. Chuckling at the thought, she glanced at a pinkish wall beside her. At fist she didn't recognize it at all, but when she walked around to the front of the building, her face dropped. She sat like a cat, her tail flicking in frustration. She couldn't believe her eyes, for in front of her laid Cafe Mew Mew.

Memories flooded back to her. She looked in the window and saw that no one was there. So she slowly opened the door, for old times' sake.


End file.
